IPL is about big money, big news and with it, big controversies. True to this dictum, the week began with the surprising news that the IPL Governing Council had decided to retender the bids for the two new franchises, with some changes to the original tender. The fresh bids will now be opened on 21st March in Chennai.
Amidst raised eyebrows, it appears that the original tender conditions of $1 billion net worth, performance guarantee of $100m and a bank guarantee of the bidding amount proved too much, even though there were reported to be at least two complete bids. These conditions have now been either removed or amended for the new tender, which will mean more bidders and lots more excitement. And for the movie buffs, this also means more Bollywood , as the names of Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Abhishek Bachchan lending their support to some of the bidders does the rounds. While on the big money, the list of sponsors for IPL is ever-increasing. The mobile boom in India has resulted in its own series of tie-ups, from IPL on mobile internet, to IPL mobile applications, to IPL world rights for SMS and MMS, to mobile lead sponsors.
Clearly, the stakes are getting higher and the pursuit keener for making IPL the most valuable sporting league in the world. The exciting player news of the week comes from the bat of Mathew Hayden of the Chennai Superkings, quite literally. This is in the form of the Mongoose bat, a new weapon of mass destruction being tried by the ex-Australian opener. It has a longer handle, lesser width and more power packed into a smaller space.
Batsmen-friendly conditions, the cricketing world’s batting heavyweights and now power bats, and it is not hard to imagine what the bowlers are in for. The skills of bowlers like Muralitharan, who have proved to be among the most economical in the league thus far, while being tested, could prove to be priceless in this situation. Adding to the bowlers woes is Gilchrist, who aims to hit 25 sixes through the tournament, albeit for a good cause, which will result in 25 individually modified bikes being given away to disabled children.
More news comes in the form of eco-friendly sportswear and performance wear with high degree of breathability making its presence felt in team uniforms. Given the increasing merchandising potential of these teams, Sri Lankan garment suppliers would do well to keep their eyes open for opportunities to ride this IPL wave in the coming seasons, as India goes gung-ho with the start of IPL 3. |
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